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Do you have a funnel? But it's not converting? The problem 99.9% of the time is that your funnel is good, but you suck at selling. If you want to learn how to sell so your funnels will actually convert, then get a ticket to my next selling online event by going to sellingonline.com podcast. That's sellingonline.com podcast. This is the Russell Brunson show. This is Russell. Welcome back to the Vault. Today I'm going to show you guys one of my favorite books. In fact, this is the book that started my entire book collection. This is a religious book. I know some of you guys are not here for religion, which is cool. I'm going to tell you more stories about this book and how it relates back to you and your business. But this is the one for me that started it all. This is the first edition Book of Mormon. This book cost me $150,000 about it four years ago. And right now I could resell this for about $225,000. That's how much the rare book market is in the LDS world. In fact, an interesting stat for those who collect old books like me. Right now, rare Mormon books beat the stock market 20x and so that's how fast books appreciate. It's a great investment. But also, this is the one. This is the one I wanted forever. That kind of got me into the whole book collecting world. So this is a clamshell. And if I open up, you can see the actual book here inside. This book was published back in 1830. There were 5,000 copies printed, the very first printing. And there's about 350 known copies that are still on earth. And it's only a few that are really, really good quality. And this is one of the 350, and this one is probably one of the top 10 copies on the planet as far as still all there. It's beautiful. It's my favorite. All right, now, real quick, don't worry, I'm not here to try convert you yet. No, just kidding. We're not here to try to convert you. But I want to tell you because there is a very powerful business lesson behind this book that I think will be very useful for everybody. Okay. A lot of you guys know I wrote this book called Expert Secrets, which is about how to create a movement of people. And one of the things that as I was doing the study and research that book, I realized that basically every mass movement throughout time, every mass movement began with a book, right? A book that shares, like here's the beliefs, here's the doctrines, here's the dogma, whatever you want to call it for this movement, right? And I start thinking back about when I launched ClickFunnels back in the day. I remember we launched the very first version of ClickFunnels. And it did, okay. People were signing up, they're trying to use the software. But it wasn't until, and it was probably five or six months after we launched ClickFunnels is when I finished the dot com secrets book, right? And it was the book that explained the original, like, philosophies and doctrine, or dogma, whatever you want to call it, for building a funnel, right? And I took that book and we launched it to the world and people started reading it and they understood. They read the principles and how it worked, and the strategy is like, oh, I understand how this works. And that's what created the whole funnel hacker clickfunnels movement, right? People got the book, they read it, and then they came in and they started using software and they started joining the community and everything else shifted because of that. You look at something like the Book of Mormon, right? When Joseph Smith translated this and he puts it out there into the world, you know, he said, missionaries all around the world and people grab these books and they would read it. And all of a sudden, like, the book was the thing that bought them into, like, oh, this is the movement. This is the mission. This is where we're going, right? And so I always tell people when they come into my world and they're like, I want to create a movement. I want to have people that I'm teaching and I'm serving just like you, like, what should I do? And I come back, I said, look, I mean, for the most part, every mass movement throughout time, both positive and negative, they almost all start with a book. And so my question for you is, like, what is the book you're going to put out there? What is the thing that you're going to put out the world? Someone's going to get and they're going to find it's going to teach them, like, here are the philosophies and the principles that we believe as a movement, as a community, as whatever it is. And they read that and then if they agree with it, then they're going to come and follow you. If you've seen Jerry Maguire, the very first of the movie, right? Tom Cruise is in the industry and he doesn't like the way things are working. He doesn't. He's not happy with it. And one Night, he sits up, he's like, I'm going to write a manifesto on the way this market should be, the way it going to be. And it's different, right? Different from what everyone's believing, what they're all doing. He writes this thing up, spends all night, and he wakes up in the morning, gives it to all the employees, and most part, most people reject it. What's interesting you're going to find out is usually when you are coming out with a book and you're creating a movement, you're a heretic, right? You're the new person. And majority of people are going to reject you initially especially, right? But there's going to be some people that, that in fact, Dan Kenny talked about this. He said in any market, he's like, there's a third of the people that are happy with the status quo. There's 30 people are kind of uneasy, but they're like not going to change anything. And there's a third of the people who know something is wrong and they're waiting for the heretic to ARR. That's when you come in, you're like, this is the difference. This is what we're changing, right? With Joseph Smith, like that was happening there. People that were looking at the religious movements back in the 1800s. They, you know, third, the people were just like, this isn't making sense. Is. Is okay. And he came out with this book and the people read, they're like, yes. And they left. They were waiting for the heretic to arrive in Click Funnels world. Same thing. They were waiting for me. They're waiting for something to come in and say, look, there's a better way to do this. And this is what it is, you know, and same Jerry Maguire, he hands that out again. Most of the people hate it. But the little one girl, right? Rene Zellweger, the. His assistant, whatever, she's one of reads and like, yes, I'm in. And they go and they leave and they create movement, right? And keeps building and building over the movie. And so I want to share this number one, because it's. It's the book that got me into rare book collecting. In fact, I remember I served a mission for my. My church in New Jersey back when I was 19 years old and I met a lady who we. We actually ended up baptizing her. But she would buy old LDS books on eBay, she sell them on desert book auctions, and that's how she made her living. I remember she showed me one day, like on ebay, like here's the first edition Book of Mormon. And back then again, this is back, you know, early 2000s, you know, it was, I don't know, 20, $30,000 for a first edition. I was like, that's crazy. So I'm gonna buy that much for a book. And when I got older and I launched clickfunnels and money was coming in, I remember I always wanted to have one. And so this was the very first one I bought. And after getting, I was like, this is so cool. And I remember sharing with my family and telling the stories and like smelling it. Everyone makes fun of me, but like, you smell the old books, they smell so cool. And so this is the one that kind of started it for me, started the whole book, like. Cause I wanted to share with you guys. I thought it was a really cool thing, but more so just to get you guys thinking about when you were creating a movement, right? And you look at the best of the best, the ones that have done it both religiously, in business, in, in, in like almost everything. Like, it leads with that thing, that manifesto, that, like that stake in the ground. You're saying, look, we are different. And if you're willing to go put that out there, your people will hear, your people will find you. Like, I'm going to go follow, okay? And since we're on a religious topic, I'll share another scripture, not from the Book of Mormon, but from the Bible for all my Christian friends. And so Christ talks about this, right? He says that my sheep will hear my voice and we will become one fold, one shepherd, right? You look at Christ like a lot of people did not like him. Most of them didn't, right? He ends up getting crucified from these people, right? But they're a group that followed him. They heard his voice and they became his people. And that is an eternal principle, right? When you come out there and you're willing to share your message, your sheep, your people will hear your message and they will come to you, right? And so in our world where we are training experts and, and coaches and trying to help them to get their message out to the world, I tell people all the time, like, you're going to be a heretic, A lot of people are going to hate you. You're getting nasty comments, right? I guarantee in the video comments, I'm gonna have so many people like Joseph Smith, a scam artist, like, da, da, da. Like, I want to see him. Like, there are people who are going to be upset that I'm even talking about this, right? And that's okay, because the majority of people, again, a lot of them are going to. Are going to ignore you, not going to care. Third of them aren't going to care. Third of them, like, I don't really like this. A third of them are waiting for you to step into your calling, to be willing to show up. Like, this is what I believe. This is why. This is where we're going. Who wants to follow me? And they're waiting for you to step up. Like Dan Kenny said, they're waiting for the heretic to arrive. If you'd be willing to put on that calling and step into it, you can change the world. At least you can change the world for your sheep, for your people, because they'll have guidance that are looking for somebody like you to step up into that calling. And so this is a representation to me of that something that was important to me, that literally changed my life, my faith, my religion, changed my life because he was willing to put it out there. And for me, this is what I connected with. For you, maybe not, but for me, this is what I connected with. And in my world, with my funnel builders, with my things, like, the next book I'm working on is because I'm trying to attract a new group of people. I'm putting out a new message that's different, right? And that's how you attract people into. Into your world so you can serve them and so you can change their life. When you're thinking through, like, how do I create a manifesto or write a book or whatever that thing might be that's going to divide people and bring your people to you, a couple things to think about for me. Number one is. And we talked about this during the True Believer video, right? Talked about people don't have to believe in a God, but they do need to believe in a devil. So who is the devil? Who is the person that you and your market are fighting against? Right? The people you're coming into, you. You gotta think about, like, who are people against? Right? And so you list those things out, like, here's the things that people are against. Then the next question, like, what are the things that you are for, like, uniquely for? Because a lot of people, like, we're all for happiness and goodwill and peace on earth. Like, those are great, but what are the things you're uniquely for that uniquely stand for that are different? Right. A lot of times things that may be a paradigm where somebody else says one thing and you believe something completely different, right? What are the things you can do on both sides of that, that's kind of where it begins, right? Is understanding that the third of the people that we are trying to attract, like, what are the things that they're, that they see that aren't right? You could ask people, like, hey, in this market, like this, this is what I'm seeing. Is anyone else seeing some weird stuff? Like, what are the things that bother you the most? What are the things that you're frustrated with? And they'll tell you, like, I'm frustrated. This and this and this. And you start looking like, wow, these are the things, These are the pain points that my people have. What can I do to get rid of those pain points? And what's cool is like, again, it leads with, it leads with your book or your, your message or the thing that brings people in, right? But then the rest of my business literally is me sitting back and just paying attention to my people. Like, what are you struggling with? I think about this all the time. Like, the job of the entrepreneurs is if you can make the process for somebody simpler or easier, that's what, that's how you get paid the big bucks, right? Like, here's the thing that's really hard. How do I make it simpler and simpler? So for us, it's like when people read the dot com secrets. Like, they're like, that sounds amazing, but this is hard. How do we do it? Like, oh, we have software that makes it easy. Like, oh, so start using software. Like, this is a lot easier, right? Make it faster, make it easier. And then we started listening. Right after the dot com secrets book, I started listening to my audience. I'm like, man, people are building funnels. They understand structure. All the stuff I taught in dotcom secrets, like, they become experts at. It's amazing. But then I was noticing people's funnels aren't converting. And like, people are confused. Like, why is nobody buying? I sent a thousand people my funnel. Nobody bought, right? So I'm listening like, oh, why isn't that buying? Like, oh, they're not buying because they don't know how to share their message correctly. They don't understand. They're building a following. They understand all these things. And so from that I'm like, I need to write expert secrets. And the next idea came from that, right? Then people got really good at creating presentations and VSLs and webinars and stuff like that, and they got stuck. How do you get traffic? How do people show up? And I was like, oh, I should make the next thing. And so as you are doing this research, you're looking at like, what are people for? What are they against? What are their pain points? That's where all your ideas are going to come. People ask them sometimes, like, Russell, you're so creative. How do you come up with these ideas? I'm like, I am not creative. I just pay really close attention and pay attention to what people are saying and then we just give them what they want. And like, that is how you get successful in this world and in the business world is just paying attention to what your customers want and then you just give it to them. Like, that's it. Obviously, it's a little different. This is not a business book. If any of you guys want to know what my favorite verses from the Book of Mormon are, these are all verses that talk about Jesus Christ. In this book, Jesus Christ actually came to American continent. In my show notes down below. If you click on the link down below will take you to my notes page and basically I'm going to give you a list of my favorite scriptures. It'll teach you more about Christ. Other than that, if you guys want to learn more about how to build a movement, the video I did about the book True Believers, a great place to start to learn a little bit more about how to go and create a mass movement of people who are going to follow you and listen to your advice.
Podcast: The Russell Brunson Show
Episode: Marketing Lessons From a $150,000 First Edition "Book of Mormon" – Ep. 75
Date: October 1, 2025
Host: Russell Brunson
This episode centers on Russell Brunson’s journey in rare book collecting, with a sharp focus on his prized first edition Book of Mormon. He distills the business and marketing principles he’s learned from both religious and commercial mass movements and connects these lessons directly to building impactful communities, businesses, and personal brands.
Quote:
"This is the one I wanted forever. That kind of got me into the whole book collecting world."
— Russell Brunson [02:22]
Quote:
"Every mass movement began with a book… a book that shares, like, here’s the beliefs, here’s the doctrines, here’s the dogma—whatever you want to call it—for this movement."
— Russell Brunson [03:30]
Quote:
"What is the book you’re going to put out there? The thing someone’s going to get and they’re going to find that teaches them the philosophies and principles we believe…"
— Russell Brunson [07:10]
Quote:
"Usually when you are coming out with a book and you’re creating a movement, you’re a heretic, right? The new person. And majority of people are going to reject you initially especially, right? But there’s going to be some people… waiting for the heretic to arrive."
— Russell Brunson [08:32]
Quote:
"I remember sharing with my family and telling the stories and, like, smelling it. Everyone makes fun of me, but, like, you smell the old books—they smell so cool."
— Russell Brunson [13:50]
Quote:
"If you’re willing to go put that out there, your people will hear, your people will find you…"
— Russell Brunson [15:30]
Quote:
"When you come out there and you’re willing to share your message, your sheep, your people will hear your message and they will come to you, right?"
— Russell Brunson [17:28]
[18:40] For aspiring movement builders, Russell says:
Russell describes "paying attention" to his market as the highest creative act—he listens, learns, and then creates what people need, simplifying their path.
Provides an example with his own publishing journey:
Quote:
"People ask… Russell, you’re so creative. How do you come up with these ideas? I am not creative—I just pay really close attention and pay attention to what people are saying and then we just give them what they want."
— Russell Brunson [23:20]
On Manifestos & Movements:
"It leads with that thing—that manifesto, that stake in the ground. You’re saying, 'Look, we are different.'"
— Russell Brunson [15:22]
On Facing Criticism:
"You're going to be a heretic, a lot of people are going to hate you… That’s okay, because the majority of people… are waiting for you to step into your calling.”
— Russell Brunson [18:12]
On Practical Entrepreneurship:
"The job of the entrepreneur is… if you can make the process for somebody simpler or easier, that’s how you get paid the big bucks."
— Russell Brunson [21:05]
This episode is a personal yet highly actionable meditation on how books—manifestos—are the engines of powerful movements, both religious and business-oriented. Russell Brunson weaves in stories from his own life and success, urging listeners to craft and share their unique message, knowing that while most people won’t resonate, the right people will. He provides both inspiration and a blueprint: identify what you (and your market) are against and for, listen intently to pain points, and boldly create and share resources that simplify your audience’s journey.
For anyone seeking to build a legacy, ignite a movement, or monetize their knowledge, this is a compelling call to start with a “book”—literal or metaphorical—and to embrace the role of the heretic.